Sportsbooks For NBA

Gambling on the NBA is an incredibly popular form of sportsbetting. The NBA has taken the world by storm over the last few years. Not just the United States, but the world. Players, such as the retiring Kobe Bryant, the indelible LeBron James and the unprecedented Stephen Curry, have global brands, which has made the NBA ubiquitous. And because it’s so prevalent around the world, you’re going to want to know how to bet on it. There are, usually, five forms of betting on the NBA—not including prop wagers. [+]

Moneylines are the simplest bets. You’re just picking the winner. You bet on the favorite or the underdog, and that’s it.

Spreads have you decide how many points will separate the the two teams in question.

For instance, if the Thunder are 12 point favorites (-12) over the Rockets (+12), you’re betting either that Oklahoma City will win by more than 12 or that Houston will lose by less than 12.

Overs and unders ask you to determine the total score.

If that Thunder and Rockets matchup has an over/under of 198 points, you must choose whether the two squads will total more than 198 points or less than 198 points between them.

Futures will ask you to bet on an outcome in the distant or semi-distant future.

Division, conference and championship plays are the most common futures. They’re also the most lucrative.

Since people use futures as a way of picking long shots, though, they’re also the most difficult to win.

The fifth and final type of common bet in NBA circles is the parlay.

Parlays let you roll multiple bets into one, allowing you to increase the return on your wager. Combining moneylines, as opposed to spreads and over/under plays, is the most sound approach here.

Best NBA Sportsbook Odds

Consider this your all access guide to every possible NBA bet imaginable. Surf moneylines, spreads and over/unders, and then figure out which bets you’ll be placing.

This macro view of the NBA’s happenings also lets you plan ahead. You can see games in advance on the schedule, and even if you don’t have odds to work with, you can at least begin preliminary research.

The most important, yet basic, part of research is determining the identity of each opponent.

Is Team A an offensive or defensive specialist? How about Team B? Are either, or both, of the teams exceptional on both sides of the hardwood?

Asking and answering those questions not only shapes your research, but it steers you in the direction of your bet. Will you bet the over/under? The spread? How about moneylines?

Is tonight’s schedule, based on all the teams and matchups, worth rolling the dice on parlays?

What Are The NBA Standings Today

Make looking at the NBA’s standings a part of your betting routine. These standings help you see which teams are better or worse than one another, whicn can help shape your bets. [+]

Don’t use this as a betting gospel; it’s more like a guideline. Look at it see to what else (team identity, schedule, past matchups, etc.) you should be looking at.

Also, you can use this to keep track of the playoff race. Taking stock of potential first-round dates in advance will give you a jump start on where you’ll be funneling your postseason betting purse.

NBA

#

team

P

W

L

+

-

%

EC - Atlantic Division

1

Boston Celtics

67

42

25

7201

7044

0.627

2

Toronto Raptors

66

38

28

7080

6849

0.576

3

New York Knicks

67

26

41

7069

7292

0.388

4

Philadelphia 76ers

66

24

42

6736

7138

0.364

5

Brooklyn Nets

65

12

53

6875

7415

0.185

EC - Central Division

1

Cleveland Cavaliers

65

43

22

7197

6930

0.662

2

Indiana Pacers

66

34

32

6913

6969

0.515

3

Detroit Pistons

66

33

33

6750

6739

0.500

4

Milwaukee Bucks

65

32

33

6830

6780

0.492

5

Chicago Bulls

66

31

35

6719

6815

0.470

EC - Southeast Division

1

Washington Wizards

65

41

24

7095

6930

0.631

2

Atlanta Hawks

66

37

29

6861

6889

0.561

3

Miami Heat

67

32

35

6854

6812

0.478

4

Charlotte Hornets

66

29

37

6946

6887

0.439

5

Orlando Magic

67

24

43

6681

7107

0.358

WC - Northwest Division

1

Utah Jazz

66

41

25

6639

6366

0.621

2

Oklahoma City Thunder

66

37

29

7019

7011

0.561

3

Denver Nuggets

66

31

35

7305

7319

0.470

4

Portland Trailblazers

65

29

36

7057

7180

0.446

5

Minnesota Timberwolves

65

27

38

6804

6810

0.415

WC - Pacific Division

1

Golden State Warriors

66

52

14

7674

6950

0.788

2

L.A. Clippers

66

40

26

7116

6912

0.606

3

Sacramento Kings

66

25

41

6782

7002

0.379

4

Phoenix Suns

67

22

45

7210

7546

0.328

5

L.A. Lakers

66

20

46

6895

7331

0.303

WC - Southwest Division

1

San Antonio Spurs

65

51

14

6923

6391

0.785

2

Houston Rockets

67

46

21

7712

7254

0.687

3

Memphis Grizzlies

66

36

30

6680

6655

0.545

4

Dallas Mavericks

65

28

37

6397

6486

0.431

5

New Orleans Pelicans

66

26

40

6791

7002

0.394

How To Make Money Betting On NBA

If you’re interested in making NBA futures bets, don’t ignore the league’s landscape right now. Ergo, do not ignore the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. Both teams are primed to dominate the championship discussion for years to come. They are historically good, and you should bank on one of them snagging the most imminent championship trophy until another challenger proves otherwise.

Taking chances on the overs and unders for win totals throughout the league is fine. Bad teams, mediocre teams, good teams—it almost doesn’t matter. Those future bets, when you’re not betting on the Spurs or Warriors, aren’t as risky as the championship ones. You’ll want to be smart about them, of course, avoiding any teams, such as tankers (Philadelphia 76ers) and wild cards (New York Knicks), that are impossible to get a hold on before the season is underway.

Stop short of dabbling in championship or even conference futures, though. Just as the Spurs and Warriors are set to dominate the West, the Cleveland Cavaliers have yet to meet their maker in the East. It’s too risky to bet against them until a real challenger to their throne emerges.

Resist the urge say you’ve found these hypothetical challengers over the offseason, when free agency and trades can make you overly optimistic about a team’s chances. Additions to a roster, however seemingly awesome, take time to coalesce.

You’re much better off waiting until the middle of the season to make any contrarian conference or championship wagers. It’s then that you’ll have a strong idea of which teams might have what it takes to crack into the Spurs, Warriors and Cavs’ exclusive futures bubble.